| The Catholic priesthood is
established through Jesus Christ. The office of the bishop is
handed down in direct succession from the Apostles, and the priests and
deacons are established as modeled in the Old Testament with the
priesthood of Aaron and the Levites. God ordered Moses and Aaron
to appoint seventy elders (presbyters) to help in acting “on behalf of
men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin”
(Catechism 1539). God also set aside the tribe of Levi to assist
as ministers of the tabernacle. Unlike the priesthood established
through the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ, this priesthood of old was
powerless to bring about salvation. It did, however, prefigure the
ordained ministry of the New Covenant (1541).
In the ecclesial service of the ordained
minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of
his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive
sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by
saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts
in the person of the head of the Body of Christ (1548).
Deacons share in Christ’s mission and grace
in a special way. It is the task of deacons to assist the bishop
and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the
Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and
blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in
presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various
ministries of charity.
|
